All Saints, Croft, is a fine greenstone church largely dating from the Decorated & Perpendicular periods.

Mark Acton, 2016

Many of the features of the church date from the Decorated period but the windows of the south aisle and the clerestory are late Perpendicular in style.

May 2016

The fenestration of the chancel, including the five-light east window, is from the Perpendicular period.

May 2016

The view of All Saints from the north-east shows the consistent Perpendicular style of the architecture from the chancel through to the embattled clerestory above the nave.

May 2016

All Saints Church viewed from the south.

All Saints is an imposing building from the south. It is listed Grade I; see: 

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1223215?section=official-list-entry

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

All Saints Church viewed from the southeast.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

All Saints Church viewed from the southwest.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

William Williams’ family gravestone from SW.

This gravestone is square in cross-section with side panels based on the pew doors in the church. The east face bears a cross; the south face commemorates William’s wife Jane who died in 1846 aged 37 years; the west face is for their son William Barter who died as an infant in 1842; and the north side remembers William Williams MA himself who died in office aged 58 after 21 years service to Croft.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Badly eroded grotesque carving of a head at the end of a hood mould.

May 2016

Croft All Saints dripstone W window N aisle

The hood mould stop shows a man sticking his tongue out.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The east window of All Saints, in Perpendicular style.

May 2016

The large octagonal font has shields in simple panels and a bowl supported on busts.

May 2016

Croft All Saints font

The font is appropriately large to match the scale of the church. It is octagonal, each face delineated by moulding and containing a tracery pattern and a shield. The bowl is supported by busts and foliate motifs.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

There are several examples of graffiti in the church.

May 2016

The medieval brass lectern was found in the moat of the Old Hall.

Similar lecterns are found in several larger East Anglian churches.

The lectern is a magnificent brass eagle made by the East Anglian factory in the late 15th century. Similar examples exist in churches as far away as Urbino cathedral in Italy. Two of the lions which form the feet were stolen in 2008, and replicas were made. However the originals were returned in July 2015. It is thought the bird originally had silver talons but these have been removed long ago as have those on the lecterns at Oxborough and Snettisham in Norfolk.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Flying Officer Rene Jean Charles Alfred Dupraz was on a training exercise flying from RAF Kirton in Lindsey. He lost control flying in bad weather and the Spitfire dived into the ground. He was 23.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Croft All Saints John Searby tablet.

A simple marble plaque with gold lettering which reads: IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ JOHN SEARBY OF CROFT/ BORN JANUARY 24TH 1854,/ DIED JULY 22ND 1934/ CHURCHWARDEN 1889-1916

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Late thirteenth or early fourteenth century brass of a knight wearing chain mail. Only the head, shoulders and arms are preserved from what at one time was probably a complete figure.

This is said to be one of the four or five earliest surviving brasses in England.

May 2016

The brass inscription from a memorial to the vicar's wife from the early seventeenth century.

May 2016

Alabaster monument to John Browne (died 1614).

Mark Acton, 2016

An alabaster monument to John Browne, one of the seven sons of Valentine Browne, who died in 1614 and his wife Cicely. Unlike the other similar monument to his parents no children are depicted below the adult figures. Sad to say, the crack in the wall to the left of the monument has still not been repaired since being photographed in 2016.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

All Saints, Croft. Alabaster monument to Sir Valentine Brown (died 1600).

Mark Acton, 2016

Croft All Saints Valentine Browne monument

Within the sanctuary to the north of the altar is the alabaster monument to Valentine Browne who died in 1600, and his wife Elizabeth with a seemingly tall family of eight sons and seven daughters depicted in the lower panels.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Rather squeezed into the junction of the south chapel and the chancel arch is this relatively plain monument to William Bonde who died in 1559.

It consists of a high plinth with geometric shallow moulding, a text panel between two columns and above, a skull and a coat of arms.

The inscription reads: HERE LYETH WILLYAM BONDE GENTLMAN,/ WHOE DYED ANO DOM 1559 LEAVING TWO/ SONNES, NICHOLAS DOCTOR IN DIVINITIE,/ AND GEORGE DOCTOR IN PHYSICKE, THE/ ELDER SONNE, WHO DYED THE ……………./ ……. ET ETATIS … AND HERE IS BURYED./ WHICH IN REMEBRANCE OF HIS MOST KYND/ FATHER HATH ERECTED THIS LYTLE MONIMENT.

Nicholas Bonde was President of Magdalen College Oxford 1590-1608.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The interior of All Saints looking west towards the bell tower.

The arcades are of the Decorated period, of five bays, with octagonal piers and double chamfered arches, a very regular and satisfying arrangement.

May 2016

The interior looking east with both rood and parclose screens showing clearly against the pale walls.

May 2016

Looking east.

The stately font dominates the west end of the central aisle. The altar at the east end of the nave is now used since concerns have grown about the cracks in the north wall of the chancel.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The north aisle is bare of carpet showing the red terracotta floor tiles. The pews have individual doors with applied tracery designs and still original wooden catches to hold them closed.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The organ is housed within the parclose screen at the east end of the north aisle. It bears a brass plaque which reads: To the honour of God/ and/ the edifying of the Church/ THIS ORGAN, THE GIFT OF/ FREDERICK JOHN 5TH LORD MONSON/ (Patron of the Living)/ WAS ERECTED/ in the Year of Grace 1839,/ William Willliams M A being then Vicar and/ Samuel Smith and Samuel Hill, Churchwardens.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

A bench door with simple tracery.

May 2016

All box-type pews have seats facing east and each one has a door hingeing outwards and fastened shut with a wooden catch.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The fine panelled door leading into the south side of the nave is dated 1633.

May 2016

The carved inscription on the inside of the south door reads:

HARBAR NEVSTEADE GORGE WhITING ChURChWARDONES 

May 2016

The south porch has benches along both sides. The pointed arch of the doorway is heavily moulded and two carved human heads form the hood mould stops.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

This characterful gargoyle conducts water from the eastern pitch of the south porch.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

 Croft All Saints priest’s door

A narrow priest’s doorway with a traceried plank door leads through the south wall of the chancel.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

This early seventeenth century pulpit (dated 1615), finely decorated, with tester, is said to be the pattern for that at nearby Burgh le Marsh.

May 2016

The carved inscription under the reading ledge of the pulpit. William Worship was the priest here in 1615.

May 2016

Detail of the carved decoration around the pulpit.

May 2016

Croft All Saints pulpit detail

Beneath the book rest of the pulpit this text refers to William Worship ‘Doctor in Divinitie’ who served the church from 1600 to 1626. Agnes Worship, commemorated by a brass plaque on a ledger slab at the entrance to the south chapel, was his wife.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

 Croft All Saints rood stair doorway

Hidden behind the organ, flower arranging materials, and ladders is a beautifully decorated doorway. Now blocked, it led into the stairway up to the rood loft.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The sanctuary area contains the alabaster monument for Valentine Browne and family, a wooden reredos, a cusped piscina and a seat for priests on a low window sill.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Colour and gilding remain along the panels of the rood screen. In the spandrels from right there appear to be an eagle, a greyhound and a horse?

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Colour and gilding remain along the panels of the rood screen. In the spandrels from left are a stag, a lion, a gryphon and another creature hard to identify.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Croft All Saints S chapel screen detail

The parclose screen of the south chapel is remarkably well preserved, the tracery complete and most of the ball-flower intact. Tracery designs have been added to the lower panels and the uneven colour beneath may indicate where colour has been removed or stained over. In the doorway the brass for Agnes Worship can be seen at the eastern end of a very long ledger slab.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The church is built of greenstone except for the top section of the tower which was rebuilt of grey stone in 1656.

The tower was restored in 1857.

May 2016

Croft All Saints tower angel

At the four corners of the tower parapet are angel figures each holding a shield

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

 Croft All Saints tower door

In the south-west corner of the tower is a staircase entered through this ogee-headed doorway.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Croft All Saints tower plaque

On the southern face of the south-western buttress of the tower is a recessed square bearing lead letters which read: MR.IOHN.PERSON/ AND RICHARD/ CORBETT/ CHURCHWARDE/ NS. MR.EVERARD/ DIGHTON.VICAR/ A’OD’NI: 1656

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Self-explanatory notice inside the church tower at All Saints.

May 2016

Croft All Saints vicars

A functional list of the vicars from 1219.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Croft All Saints S door wicket text exterior

Although much degraded the lettering on the top of the wicket door reads ‘GOD : SAVE : ThE : KING : 1633 :’

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

Chapel located at National Grid Reference TF502612.

Viewed from across the River Lymn. 

Geoff Swain Collection 15 August 1999 

This National School built in 1844 by subscription replaced an earlier building of 1822. It closed in 1963.

July 2016

A second view of the former primary school by the church in Croft.

July 2016

Village Hall viewed from the south.

The south face of the former school bears a datestone with 1844 and the name plaque for Croft Village Hall beneath.

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

The war memorial was built by Messrs H C Wood of Wainfleet and unveiled on 17 April 1921. It is a rough-hewn Celtic wheel cross on an octagonal plinth around which the 81 names of those who served are placed in lead letters. Sixteen died. Three names were added to commemorate those lost in WWII. See: https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20466 

Jean Howard 17 February 2024

"A List And Brief Details Of Chapels In The Alford, Skegness & Wainfleet Circuit Past And Present" prepared by Colin Shepherdson July 1998 states :-

"The first chapel was erected in 1842 on Lymn Bank [Oak Bridge] and was replaced on the same site by another opened on the 23.9.1888.

The last service was held in September 1994 and the chapel sold in 1996 and is now in the process of being converted into a house"

Geoff Swain Collection 15 August 1999 

This mill is on the very southern edge of Croft parish and close to Wainfleet All Saints.

It originally had three-storeys and four-sails and was erected in 1814.

Jon Sass Collection, undated photograph

The mill was heightened by a further three storeys in 1859. It was wind-powered until 1949.

Location of mill: TF 501 596

Peter Kirk Collection, 2002

Havenhouse station is 3 miles south of Skegness & was originally called Croft Bank. It is one of the least used stations in Great Britain.

Undated photo